A Meta-analysis of the Relative Effectiveness of the Item Count Technique Compared to Direct Questioning

Abstract

This article presents an updated meta-analysis of survey experiments comparing the performance of the item count technique (ICT) and the direct questioning method. After synthesizing 246 effect sizes from 54 studies, we find that the probability that a sensitive item will be selected is .089 higher when using ICT compared to direct questioning. In recognition of the heterogeneity across studies, we seek to explain this variation by means of moderator analyses. We find that the relative effectiveness of ICT is moderated by cultural orientation in the context in which ICT is conducted (collectivism vs. individualism), the valence of topics involved in the applications (socially desirable vs. socially undesirable), and the number of nonkey items. In the Discussion section, we elaborate on the methodological implications of the main findings.